Creative Consequences of the Rights Clearance Culture for Documentary Filmmakers
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Untold Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property StorieS in SoUth AfricA: Creative Consequences of the Rights Clearance Culture for Documentary Filmmakers Sean Flynn and Peter Jaszi A project of: Black Filmmakers Network & Documentary Filmmakers’ Association, South Africa Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property & Center for Social Media, American University EO/AAUniversityandEmployer Funded by the Ford Foundation American University Washington College of Law 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016-8181 www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/ ProJect PArticiPAntS Principal Investigators: Sean Flynn and Peter Jaszi Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, American University Washington College of Law Interview Coordinators: Ben Cashdan, Marc Schwinges, Sipho Singiswa, Natalie Stange Interviewers: Ben Cashdan, Sipho Singiswa, Marc Schwinges, Natalie Stange, Tula Diamini, Meril Rasmussen, Pascal Schmitz, Miki Redelinghuys Project Advisor: Patricia Aufderheide Legal Advisors (SA): Andrew Rens, Tobias Schonwetter Video Production: Tim Wege & Miki Redelinghuys Research & Editing: Matilda Bilstein, Jessica Cameron, Colleen O’Boyle, Hauwa Otori, Mike Palmedo, Ali Sternburg, Marynelle Wilson Filmmaker Interviews: Johann Abrahams, Gail Berman, Bronwyn Berry, Lucilla Blankenburg, Neil Brandt, Dorothy Brislin, Seipati Bulane-Hopa, Ben Cashdan, Indra Delanerolle, Rehad Desai, Tula Dlamini, Wynand Dreyer, Don Edkins, Sharon Farr, David Forbes, Harriet Gavshon, Odette Geldenhuys, Dan Jawitz, Michael Lee, Alethea Lindsay, Jane Lipman, Steven Markovitz, Tendeka Matatu, Vincent Moloi, Sechaba Morejele, Mthuthuzeli, Nicki Newman, Mandla Ngcongwane, Roli Nikiwe, Dingi Ntuli, Magantrie Pillay, Miki Redelinghuys, Pascal Schmitz, Marc Schwinges, Khalid Shamis, Sipho Singiswa, Guy Spiller, Helena Spring, Natalie Stange, Robbie Thorpe, Francois Verster Funder: Ford Foundation www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/internationalfilm contentS Executive Summary 1 Research Design 1 Findings 1 Recommendations 2 Study Concept 3 Research Design 5 Background Research and Analysis of South African Law 5 Partnerships with South African Filmmaker Organizations 6 Survey of Filmmaker Practices and Perceptions 6 Filmmaker Workshop & Consultation Meeting 8 Legal Review 10 Limitations and Exceptions that Permit Use of Copyrighted Materials Without License 10 Limitations and Exceptions from Other Laws 14 Survey of Perceptions and Practices of Filmmakers 16 Clearance Culture 16 Role of Gatekeepers 18 www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/internationalfilm Creative Consequences of the Rights Clearance Culture Copyright and Clearance 19 Costs and Complications of Clearance 21 execUtive SUmmAry Red Tape and Viewpoint Discrimination 22 This report summarizes research on the perceptions of South African Restrictions on Film Content and Distribution 22 documentary filmmakers about copyright clearance requirements Users’ Rights in the Dark 23 and the effect of such requirements on their work. This work was performed in the context of a larger project exploring how lessons Shared Views on a Fairer System 25 learned from “best practices” projects with documentary filmmakers Need for Alternative Archival Access 26 in the U.S. can help their counterparts in other countries identify and overcome barriers to effective filmmaking posed by escalating copyright clearance requirements. Recommendations 27 Copies of this report and other materials created for this project are available at http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/internationalfilm. Short Term Goals 27 Longer Term Goals 29 Research Design Appendix: The project conducted a legal review of South African and other commonwealth laws. This review included commissioned Excerpts From Responses scholarly reports on copyright law and documentary filmmaking To Questions 30 in commonwealth countries from the developed and developing world. Using this research as background and context, the principal investigators undertook a detailed examination of the users’ rights Information About Respondents 30 available to filmmakers in the South African Copyright Act. Copyright Experience 30 The project also included research into South African Use of Archives 46 documentary filmmaker perceptions and practices with regard Asserting Your Own Copyright 49 to use of copyrighted material in their films. This work included a survey of 41 South African filmmakers conducted by members of Copyright Knowledge 56 the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association (“DFA”) and the Black Filmmakers’ Network (“BFN”). Following these two research exercises, a two-day workshop was held with filmmakers at which the research findings were presented and discussed. The workshop included segments training filmmakers on their users’ rights under existing law as well as opportunities to change the law through an ongoing reform process. Findings South Africa’s copyright law contains important limitations and exceptions that permit for the fair quotation of copyrighted work without license from the right holder, but these aspects of South Africa’s law are not well known among filmmakers. www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/internationalfilm www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/internationalfilm 1 Untold Stories in South Africa Creative Consequences of the Rights Clearance Culture Gatekeepers, such as broadcasters, researchers and international ² Develop a list of pressing copyright policy distributors, often enforce rigid rights clearance requirements proposals for pending revision of the South which are producing a “clearance culture” in which filmmakers African copyright law. believe that they must obtain clearance for every use of copyrighted material in their films. In the longer term, over the next two to four years as the South African copyright law is being revised, the organizations resolved to: The clearance process is complex, time-consuming, expensive and frequently frustrating. These hardships lead to many instances ² Articulate additional law reform goals, such as when filmmakers alter their work to avoid the use of copyrighted positions on copyright term extension. material or limit the circulation of their films to avoid clearance requirements. ² Research law reform strategies, including research into constitutional free-expression When South African filmmakers exercise their rights to use grounds for user rights in copyright. copyrighted material without license, they most frequently do so quietly, reluctantly and under an assumption that their actions ² Recommend ways in which documentary are illegal. filmmakers can create or contribute to projects in South Africa to audit archival and documentary Despite the low level of copyright literacy, filmmakers share footage (publicly and privately held), and to many common conceptions about what are fair and just uses create “open” archives through which material of copyrighted material in their films. Thus, collective action to would be more widely available to filmmakers improve their position under current law is a real possibility. and others. In addition, South Africa’s copyright law is undergoing a process ² Develop model transfer agreements for footage of revision. There are important limitations and flexibilities in other from filmmakers’ personal archives to open countries’ laws that South Africa does not utilize. Filmmakers in archive projects. South Africa have an opportunity to study the best models of copyright limitations and exceptions from other countries and ² Investigate the utility of international best advocate for improving the legal enabling environment for practices statements that attempt to harmonize documentary film in South Africa. users’ rights across borders. Recommendations StUdy concePt Following the two-day workshop, DFA and BFN resolved to work with American University Washington College of Law and the Copyright laws and free expression principles are at once Center for Social Media to: interdependent and in potential conflict. Copyright laws help promote free expression by providing incentives for the production ² Develop a consensus “best practices” of new creative works through an exclusive right of reproduction. But document explicating copyright users’ rights in taken to the extreme, exclusive rights could inhibit the production documentary filmmaking. of new expressive works that depend on the incorporation and transformation of prior expression. Thus, copyright laws normally ² Develop standards for the ethical use of historical contain what the U.S. Supreme Court has referred to as “built-in documents and footage; art, music and stories [free expression] accommodations” in the form of limitations and that are traditional to indigenous groups; and exceptions to the original creator’s exclusive rights.1 These limitations the personal narratives of individuals. and exceptions, which allow quotation of copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner in certain circumstances, ² Develop a legal advice network for documentary may be broadly referred to as “users’ rights.” filmmakers on user rights in copyright. 1 Eldred v. Ashcroft, 537 U.S. 186, 219-20 (2003) (referring to the fair use doc- trine’s “built-in First Amendment accommodations”). 2 www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/internationalfilm www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/internationalfilm 3 Untold Stories in South Africa Creative Consequences of the Rights Clearance Culture It is not enough that users’ rights exist on the books. To accomplish the U.S. Best Practices project could be of use to filmmakers